Legacy of Spyro: Blood Brothers (part 4)
by VanishingPointRacing
Summary: The fourth part in the Legacy of Spyro series. Many challenges have faced Spyro since Draikor's defeat. Barely keeping his family out of danger from the undead horrors roaming the land, Spyro begins to wonder if he has more than he can handle alone. Meanwhile, other events begin to unfold which will spark a whole new era of war for the next generation. Rated T for violence/blood.
1. Chapter 1

**Legacy of Spyro: Blood Brothers**

**Man, you guys are the best! My readers whom I may never know in the real world are truly a blessing to me. I never would have gotten this far if it wasn't for you guys. As we continue through the series, new twists are awaiting for you to uncover. So without any further ado, I present to you; **_**Legacy of Spyro: Blood Brothers.**_

**Prologue**

(Eight years after Draikor's fall)

"How did they fall so quickly, what did we do wrong?" Zpharah questioned as he drifted around the rocky core of the inactive volcano, repeating a question which haunted him for eight long years.

"Maybe because my father overthought what he thought was him being in control of the Fallen, come on now, do you really expect a single being to be able to control thousands of demon-powered undead cannibals," Nemphis said, Draikor's twisted son who starved for revenge for his father's demise. "Or was it that fact that you did not have your facts straight either?" Zpharah hissed in anger as he charged towards Nemphis, causing the dragon to stumble onto his back as the red glaring eyes of the black mist stared down upon him.

"I would watch your tongue young dragon," Zpharah threatened as Nemphis' face surprisingly showed no fear towards the demon's attitude. "I may not possess any power to kill you in my current state, but rest assure Nemphis, I can crawl into your body whenever I want to and control you like if you were somebody's puppet!"

"You don't scare me anymore demon, not after how easily Namulis cringed under Spyro's willpower alone," Nemphis said as he swung his claws at the demon to give himself some space while standing up off of the ground. "Besides, you need me to open the rift to the demons again."

"We can't open the rift to release the demons again because one of the demons powerful enough to open it is no more, look at what your father created anyway, a world now ravaged by zombified warriors," Zpharah said as he drifted around Nemphis repeatedly. "I wouldn't say he did a half bad job, though this was probably wasn't part of his plan though."

"So, now what do we do?" Nemphis asked as he remained seated in the middle of the volcano's rocky floor, thinking of their next move to get revenge on Spyro personally.

"I don't know, we have nothing to rely on anymore," Zpharah hissed as he looked at the young, anger driven dragon. "We have no army, no alliances left alive or have enough sense to be manipulated by us, and no resources to even begin to prepare for any type of attack. What do you suppose we do if you have any ideas?"

"I did hear of a Mole which has far advanced technology than Warfang, I overheard some of the civilians talking in Warfang while I was trying to gather information for my father before he attacked eight years ago," Nemphis said as Zpharah stopped drifting seemingly aimlessly and turned to face Nemphis with interest. "That was eight years ago, surely he has promoted his technology now, he's to the west from here, off of the mainland on a stretch of islands which line the ocean far from land."

"That is a stupid idea, a pipedream," Zpharah said as he seen no other choice but to listen to Nemphis anyway. "But it is worth a try, alright we'll go, I hope you're right though."

"Again, like you said, what other choice do we have other than to do this," Nemphis said as the two took flight into the early dawn sky. "We have no other plan, this is worth a try." Nemphis then began to grow confident that the solution was within reach, flying faster as he edged onwards to the west in search for the mole outcast.

**Chapter One: Blessed Son**

The blades of grass danced along the wind's rhythmic tune while trees provided the orchestra melody that made the early day seem perfect to Spyro as he made his way around his cave and property line. The forest may have seemed peaceful, but Spyro knew of the undead "Roamers" which stalked the earth, remains from Draikor's Fallen army which he resurrected eight years ago. The purple dragon longed for the day which he could go without tense nerves while looking for food for his family, fear that a Roamer would pounce on him from behind and infect him with it's pestilent bite.

The purple dragon witnessed an infected victim turn before. It all started with a throbbing headache and the blood felt like it was boiling inside the Cheetah warrior's body. Then, the coldness of the disease begins to shut down all of the body's immune systems, allowing the infection to spread more quickly. The body then begins to die off, simulating death as the host's brain is soon taken control by the sickness, turning them into a ravenous beast which hunts the living for their flesh and blood.

"No food for days, been living off of the reserve food in our home for days now," Spyro thought to himself as he continued to walk around his cave in a circle, expanding his search as he cautiously surveyed his surroundings. "The reserve food is just bread and dairy products; I'm growing sick of having that for dinner every night. We need protein, which means meat, Skyro needs it the most. He's only eight years old and he's already fought a Roamer by himself, I'm so proud of him though I want to do everything I can in my power to prevent him from being involved in violence in this world." The purple dragon, now of the age twenty-six had done well for being a young father as he soon spotted a Roamer.

"At this time of year, the trees and plant life in particular are always at their tallest and bushiest state," Spyro complained to himself as he kept low in the tall grass to remain hidden from the Roamer. "You never know when you'll bump into one of those things…" Spyro crept slowly through the tall weeds and grass, slowly creeping up behind the unsuspecting Roamer. The zombified warrior stayed motionless, moaning and snarling to seemingly no end as Spyro could smell the stench from the undead beast penetrate his nostrils.

"Could never get use to the smell however," Spyro said as he readied himself to pounce. "If one of them manages to screech, more of them will come." Spyro then leaped up from the tall grass and tackled the undead to the dirt, burying his mouth into the ground to prevent it from alerting more Roamers as Spyro buried his right fist into the back of the zombie's head, shattering it's skull as it disintegrated among the tall grass.

"Nice one dad." A young voice said as Spyro spun around quickly in shock as he soon saw his son.

"Jeez son, you no better than to scare me like that out here," Spyro scolded as he looked as his son with a smirk. "And you're not supposed to be out here when I'm hunting for us young dragon, your mother will be upset with me if she found out you're out here prowling around."

"I'm sorry dad, I'm just bored and I want to go see Flare again, her parents are having roasted lamb chops and shredded oranges tonight for dinner." Skyro said as his emerald green eyes stayed fixed on his father's purple eyes.

"Oh, and you know this for a fact, when did you speak to Flame and Ember last?" Spyro said as Skyro chuckled to himself and looked at his feet in embarrassment.

"… Only last week, but come on, you know mom missed them to along with you!" Skyro laughed as his father shook his head and smiled.

"Alright son, you win, let's get back inside before-" Spyro said before being cut off by his son.

"Dad, look out!" Skyro screeched as Spyro whipped back around to the snarling jaws of a Roamer dragon.

"Get back inside, I'll be their shortly!" Spyro accidentally yelled out loud, drawing more Roamers to his location as he and Skyro found themselves surrounded by blood drinking horrors.

"Oh no, daddy, now what do we do?" Skyro asked as Spyro touched his son's tail blade with his own.

"Don't get bit for one thing, hold onto my tail, and don't scream." Spyro said as his son grasped ahold of his tail with all of his claws. No sooner did his son do so, Spyro took to the skies is a big blast of speed, leaving the undead behind as he watched a Fallen Dragon try to fly but failed multiple times.

"Um, now what do we do, mom is still inside probably worried sick about you and me." Skyro said, soon completely forgetting what he said as he watched a giant gust of wind knock the Roamers down as Cynder approached them with extreme caution following her attack.

"I'm getting sick and tired of you things crowding around my cave, you're bringing down the abode here," Cynder spat as she whipped her tail blade around to decapitate a Roamer behind her, disintegrating it as Spyro landed with Skyro next to her. "Remind me to kill you later." Cynder said as she and Spyro made a protective stance around Skyro.

"I would make a note of it my dear, but I fear I have lost my pen," Spyro said with a smirk as Cynder chuckled to herself. "I guess this means I will be sleeping on the couch tonight then, right?"

"You got that right," Cynder said as she spat poison at an approaching Roamer from her left while Spyro froze a nearby Roamer with his ice breath, crumbling within seconds as Skyro watched in amazement at his parent's power. "What do we do?"

"Is the cave sealed off?" Spyro asked as he kept tabs where Skyro was by feeling for his body with his tail blade.

"Yes, I don't think we can get back in though, they're coming by the groups," Cynder said as the Roamers began to close in on the three. "We need to get out of here, now."

Spyro thought about their possessions inside of the cave until he finally drew to a conclusion, "Flame and Ember's place, go, now." Spyro ordered his family as he allowed Cynder to pick up Skyro and takeoff first before he took off as well, leaving their cave behind as they flew through the early afternoon sky, sulking in dismay as his stomach growled for food.

"So hungry, I hope Flame and Ember don't mind providing for us as well; we'll help out whenever we can though," Spyro said as he looked on towards Skyro still clutched in Cynder's arms. "I hope Skyro learns how to fly soon, I don't understand why he can't yet. I may have been a few years older when I first flew but I just learned that I was a dragon,that sounded stupid in my head… funny now. He showed good promise yesterday when him and I finally found a place in a meadow where we could see Roamers come before they could reach us, he managed to hover off of the ground for a few seconds until he finally fell, he needs more time."

Skyro thought to himself as he got comfortable in his mother's grasp, "Why can't I fly yet, it just feels like my wings just give out on me when I try to just glide. Did dad have this problem, or mom? It's real embarrassing to watch Flare fly around so flawlessly and I can't even get off the ground."

"This all started with a twisted mind of one of our own kind, just wanting power," Cynder thought as she pressed on with Spyro towards Flame and Ember's cave. "Now here we are, fighting and scavenging just to survive, I hope you're happy Draikor. Now we have to go to our friend's cave to shelter down there with a eight-year-old who can't fly yet and two adults ready to kill anything just for something to eat… I need to calm down." Cynder's anger over the entire situation remained however as she tried to keep a cool head for Spyro and Skyro's sake.

"I know you're angry my love and you have the every right to be this way," Spyro said to his wife as she shook her head with a smirk. "You didn't deserve any of this, but it's better than when the Roamers had a sense of mind."

"Must be pretty obvious how angry I've been lately," Cynder said as Spyro nodded his head. "But three years Spyro, eight years of fighting the same thing day in and day out, scraping up scraps of food just to get by. Skyro doesn't deserve this type of evil. I just hope he doesn't see what happens to the unlucky ones who can't get away with just a bite, let alone what happens to someone who gets bit."

"Nor I, let's just hope that he never has to get into a position where he has to fend for himself alone." Spyro said, hoping that his son didn't hear their conversation, sadly failing as Skyro thought about their words.

"What can Roamer bites do to us dad?" Skyro asked as Spyro looked on forward, soon noticing that they were nearing Flame and Ember's cave within roughly half an hour.

"You become one of them." Spyro simply said as Skyro thought over the answer.

"And what happens if you can't get away?" Skyro asked as Cynder shook her head in dismay.

"You don't want to know son," Cynder said before Spyro could answer. "Trust me, you don't want to know." Spyro nodded his head as the three continued to fly across the daylight sky.

* * *

**I have lost count by how many days have passed, but I know it has been years since we have last seen Spyro in Warfang. Since the birth of his son Skyro, we haven't seen him, Cynder, or Skyro since. Warfang, the once beautiful city open to all is once again closed to only those uninfected by this cursed plague which has swept across the land. I don't know what to do anymore except go through the daily motions which we have done from time and time again for the past eight years, lock down the city throughout the night, nobody steps foot outside; that is when the Roamer Dragons take flight for some reason which have yet to be identified. Only at night to those winged demons take flight. We just have to survive, to many undead among the land to even travel among the roads, best of luck to any survivors out there outside of these walls. If you do manage to make it here during daylight hours, we will accept you into the city, you are on your own otherwise.**

**-Terrador**

The Earth elemental Guardian closed his journal and sat among the Dragon Study, thinking about the outcome of the world as he replayed the events that happened when Spyro was separated from the demon named Zpharah. The young dragon's face was filled with pain and struggle as the demon was slowly pried from his body, sending the young purple dragon into a kaleidoscope of pain.

"We should have found out how to destroy that fowl being before anyone tried to free it." Terrador thought as he could picture Draikor's sadistic smile spread from ear to ear as he absorbed the demon which caused the utter chaos among the land.

"Terrador." Volteer simply greeted and nodded his head as he entered the Dragon Study.

"Volteer," Terrador replied as he nodded his head to the Electricity Guardian. "Where is Cyril?

"Downstairs," Volteer said as he made himself comfortable in the Dragon Study. "He was praying in the church below us, I think he might be losing his sense of reality."

"He's praying for hope, you call that losing it?" Terrador asked as Volteer shook his head.

"No, I mean he was talking to himself earlier like he was in a play by himself," Volteer said as Terrador flashed a look of confusion at him. "He's losing it Terrador, I'm telling you."

"I'll have a word with him," Terrador said as he exited the Dragon study from his sofa chair. "We have only a few more hours until we need to start thinking about locking down the city again."

"I know, what do we do about food though, our rations are growing slim." Volteer said as Terrador nodded his head.

"I know… we need Hunter to send out another hunting party and see what they can bring back tomorrow." Terrador simply ordered as he made his way down the spiral staircase towards the church.

"This isn't chaos, this is madness." Terrador said as he walked quickly into the church. Cyril sat in the front pews, head hanged low as Terrador approached.

"Who disturbs my peace," Cyril asked as he remained motionless. "Leave me alone if you have nothing good to say to me."

"Cyril, its Terrador," the Guardian leader said as he approached the Ice elemental Guardian. "Volteer is worried about you, what is wrong?"

Cyril breathed in deeply as he kept his head hung low, not wanting to look at Terrador as he said, "I was on perimeter watch yesterday when I saw a group of Roamers were chasing down a young Cheetah, couldn't have been seven-years-old. H banged on the outer gates with all of his strength trying to get in, that is when I saw him. I saw the bite on his left shoulder, I couldn't let him in. Then he looked right at me, those tear filled eyes burned into mine, he was already beginning to turn. Then the group of Roamers caught up with him, he tripped as he tried to run away. He didn't stand a chance as they tore him apart."

"You're blaming yourself aren't you?" Terrador asked as Cyril looked at the green and brown dragon.

"Who else is there to blame but me," Cyril asked as his tired eyes yearned for sleep. "I haven't slept decent for days and that incident didn't exactly help out at all."

"He was bitten, just like you said, it was only a matter of time before he turned," Terrador said as Cyril shook his head in dismay. "The sickness would have taken him over within a few more minutes, would you rather have him in here with us and endanger everybody here, have him haunt this land as a Roamer, or have him eaten knowing that the sickness didn't take him?"

"That is not what I meant," Cyril said as he almost yelled out loud inside the quite church. "A child was ripped to shreds by those things, a child, what has become of our once peaceful land?"

"We can't dwell on the bad things forever Cyril, you should know this," Terrador said as he watched Cyril's face for any type of expression. "You can't let bad things like that bring you down; you have to focus on keeping the ones we can save alive. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah… I understand." Cyril said as he stood from the pews alongside Terrador.

"Volteer and I need you in the Dragon Study, I'll leave you be until you think about what I have said." Terrador turned and began to leave as Cyril stood in thought, wondering what the future would bring as he looked among the carvings of dragons made from gold among the church walls.

"May the Ancestors watch over us all." Cyril said as he began to leave the church.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Eminent**

"Do you see any Roamers down there?" Cynder asked as Spyro observed the grounds around Flame and Ember's cave.

"No, I don't see anything there." Spyro concluded as the three dragons landed among the ground, still observing their surroundings, making sure not to cause to muck noise in case any Roamer tried a sneak attack on them.

"Flame," Spyro said shortly, but loud enough to let anyone inside the cave know he was there as Spyro checked around him once again to make sure no Roamer was in sight. "It's Spyro, come on, open up." No sooner did Spyro finish his command, the boulder in front of the mouth of the cave slid open just enough to allow Spyro, Cynder, and Skyro inside.

"Were you followed?" Flame asked as Spyro shook his head.

"No, are you guys alright?" Spyro said as he helped Flame shunt the boulder in front of the cave mouth.

"Yeah were fine," Flame said as he turned towards Ember who was sitting on a plushy couch made from cotton and silk. "Ember, can you run back and get Flare, let her know we have company please?" Flame asked as Ember stood up and began to make her way towards Flare's room."

"Yeah I'll tell her, do any of you four want a drink or something to snack on; you three in particular must be hungry." Ember asked Spyro and his family.

"I'll be fine, Cynder, Skyro?" Spyro asked as Cynder shook her head.

"I'll be ok to, Skyro?" Cynder asked as Skyro was a bit nervous to ask at first."

"Weren't you all excited to have some of Ember's delicious roasted lamb chops and orange slices before we left?" Spyro smiled as Skyro giggled with embarrassment.

"Yeah I was," Skyro blushed as he looked up towards Ember. "If you don't mind that is Ember."

"Nonsense, I'll have it ready before you know it," Ember winked at the young Skyro as she looked up towards Spyro and Cynder and pointed at the two with a smile on her face. "And I know you two are just trying to be polite, you'll get some to along with everybody else in this cave." Ember then walked back towards Flare's room where she was out of sight.

"Oh isn't she a sweetheart," Flame asked as he chuckled and invited his guests to sit in the living room. "Skyro, you can go back and play with Flare for a while until dinner is ready; just remember the rules though." Flame smiled, knowing that Skyro was a polite and trustworthy dragon just like his father.

"No going outside, don't break anything, and no roughhousing," Skyro said with a smirk as he pranced along the living room floor. "I got this rule thing down to just instincts Flame." Skyro then took off towards Flare's room as Flame made a gesture to get up and catch the young dragon, but remained in his seat laughing with Spyro and Cynder.

"That son of yours is quite the know-it-all isn't he?" Flame said with a smile as Spyro nodded his head in agreement.

"Flame, I hate to ask, but we were wondering if we could stay here for a little bit," Spyro asked as Flame listened to his best friend. "Only until we know that the Roamers have left our cave entrance so we can get back in. We'll help out however we can."

"You don't even have to ask, I kind of already knew that was why you came here," Flame said as he looked towards Ember. "Our friends need to stay here for a while until then can get back into their cave, or at least wait it out until the Roamers have more or less moved on to another region in bulk numbers."

"Great, now I have somebody else to talk to besides you, you're driving me insane." Ember pinched Flame's cheek jokingly as Cynder winked to Ember's action.

"Hi Flare, long time since I've seen you!" Skyro said as he entered Flare's room. The room was a pretty sight to see with the bed and ceiling decorated with flowers and her nice, smooth stone desk was masterly crafted by Mole's in Warfang before the Roamers got out of hand. Her chess which held most of her personal belongings was made of fine oak wood and marble as the blue marble slabs glistened in the candlelight.

"Hi Skyro, it has been awhile!" Flame yelped as she ran and gave her best friend a hug who returned the gesture. She was beautiful to Skyro, her orange color resembled her father's nearly perfectly as it was a shade darker than his. Her chest scales matcher her mother's while they were shaded in a dark pink. Her white horns mimicked her father's shape while her dorsal fins were of her mothers. The membranes of her wings and dorsal fins were the dark pink color of her chest scaled while the fin itself was a shade brighter than her father's skin color. Her tail blade was identical to Flame's. The yellow spade which would only progress to become sharper as she aged already showed signs of lethality as it was a constant reminder that it was indeed a weapon.

"So I overheard our parents talking and guess what," Skyro teased as Flare impatiently waited for an answer. "We're staying over here for a while!"

"No way, that is perfect!" Flare said as Skyro looked a bit confused.

"Why is that perfect, what do you got in mind?" Skyro asked as Flare chuckled to herself.

"You wouldn't believe what I found last night," Flare said as Skyro looked at her in awe. "It is a really amazing place."

"You left your cave at night, you know that is dangerous." Skyro said as Flare pushed him jokingly.

"Be quiet dummy, or I'll get in trouble," Flare said as she scolded Skyro playfully. "I know a way to get there without being caught by any Roamers, so how about it, you want to come see?"

Skyro thought about the risks thoroughly as he finally answered, "Alright, we'll go, we have to be back before our parents wake up."

"Deal, don't be such a wimp, we won't even see a Roamer on the way there." Flare said as the two children heard the adults laughing in the other room.

"Kids, dinner is ready. Come get some if you want some!" Ember called as the two ran into the dining room for their food.

"I might have an idea on how to thin out the Roamer numbers if you're interested," Flame whispered to Spyro, not wanting Ember or Cynder to hear. "We'll discuss it tonight only if you're interested."

"You know I'm open for ideas," Spyro whispered back as they walked into the dining room. "I want to rid this world of Roamers just as fast as anyone else."

"What are you two whispering about?" Cynder said as she flicked her tail blade at Spyro as she passed him, getting his attention as he gazed at her body, always falling into a trance when he really, really looked at her.

"Oh nothing dear," Spyro stammered as Cynder rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to annoy you like always." He couldn't help but smirk as Cynder smirked back at him, carrying his and her plate onto the table as everyone sat down to feast.

"Oh please hun, you can do that just by staring at me." Cynder shot back as Flame poked Spyro in the arm with his elbow.

"She got you friend, don't even try to fight back, you'll just lose." Flame poked as Spyro shook his head and smiled.

"Flare honey, can you run and grab everybody a drink please?" Ember asked as the little female dragon nodded her head.

"Skyro, go help her out a bit would you please," Spyro asked as his son skipped after Flare. "You mother and I will take water by the way!"

* * *

"Prowlus, you know this is a bad idea right?" Hunter whispered as the two Cheetah leaders, along with two other Cheetah warriors stalked through the tall weeds.

"Yeah, but Volteer said that the food rations were running low," Prowlus whispered back as he drew is arrow back into his bow. "I know this is suicide, but what else is there to do? We all have to fulfill a purpose in Warfang, or else we get shorted out on food for a day, you know how the system works."

"Yeah, prove your worth or get shorted out," Hunter said as he drew his bow as well. "Even though the method is cruel, I respect it nothing less."

"Which is why we need to be on our guard and take home a good poundage today to make certain of our worth in Warfang." One of the Cheetah warriors said who was inspecting his crossbow while observing the open meadow, counting at least over a dozen Roamers wandering aimlessly about in the clearing.

"Make good use of those arrows brothers, we need some to hunt with as well." The last Cheetah warrior said who was much bulkier and deep voiced than the others. A large bronze sword stayed firmly clinched in both of his left and right hands instead of a bow to serve as a close range protector.

"Alright, we'll use the tall grass for cover and make our way around and finish off each and every one of them silently with arrows," Prowlus said as he placed his bow back around and across his chest but held the arrow firmly in his hand. "If the arrow gets stuck, leave it until they disintegrate to get it back, no loud noises. Blaidus, hold back for a second before you follow us, even in this tall grass your size might become an issue when sneaking." The larger Cheetah warrior nodded his head in understanding as Hunter looked at the nearest Roamer which stood in their way.

"I'll go first," Hunter said as he got ready to bolt into the tall grass. "Prowlus, once I'm hidden you follow me. Savage, you're after him and Blaidus, you follow after him." Hunter then proceeded into the tall grass, near perfectly camouflaged with the thick bristles of nature as he stopped and motioned for Prowlus to follow. Though the Cheetah leader showed courage in entering the tall grass with his companion, he soon realized that he could no longer see where the Roamers were at anymore.

"Tell Savage to wait with Blaidus where they are at," Hunter whispered as he looked around the tall grass frantically. "If we are all in this tall grass at once and we end up getting split up, how will we ever find each other in here again?"

Prowlus signaled off Blaidus and Savage and ordered them to hide up in the tall trees and observe where Prowlus and Hunter where as he turned back to Hunter and said, "You're right, it is best to have someone watching over us if anything goes wrong." Hunter nodded his head as he turned to the tall grass among them, unknowing which way to go suddenly as he felt the ground with his left hand.

"They aren't moving, I can't tell where they are at," Hunter said as he sniffed the air. "Their stench is overwhelming, I don't even have to try and focus my thoughts to the smells around me to let me know that they are there but I can't smell where they are exactly though."

"Aye, I know what you mean," Prowlus whispered as he began ahead of Hunter, slowly stalking through the grass as he made sure he didn't accidently break a fallen tree branch. "We'll just have to go by memory, follow my lead." The two then began slowly through the tall brush, arrows ready to kill any Roamer which they ran into.

* * *

"Um Flare; I really don't think this is a good idea to go out this late." Skyro said, realizing that it was well into nightfall already and had never been out so late due to the threat of Roamers and Roamer Dragons.

"Oh come on, we'll be fine, I'm going to check to see if our parents are asleep yet." Flare said as she slipped out of her room cautiously into the living room of the cave.

"She must be crazy." Skyro said as he looked among her room again. "I wonder if she knows what happens when you get cornered by Roamers." He then caught himself staring at the walls among Flare's room, envying all of the paintings and sculptures she had compared to him. Three golden statues replicated from Spyro, Malefor, and Ignitus stood among her shelf above her bed in pride. Ignitus' stature was him sitting down. His tail tightly coiled around him and wings folded to his sides as his chest stuck out proudly along with his neck stretched upright with his head seemingly looking out into nowhere.

"Where did she get these?" Skyro thought to himself as he then looked towards the statue of Malefor. Skyro knew of his grandfather through both Spyro and Cynder as he looked among Malefor's stance. The great dragon stood perched among a large boulder, tail running the length of the statue as his wings were outstretched and leering as his head hung low to show dominance among those who were under him.

"Ok, we're all clear, we can go out." Flare said softly as she re-entered her room, looking at Skyro who's eyes were still fixed on the three sculptures.

"Where did you get these, the sculpture of my dad in particular?" Skyro asked as he looked at his father's statue. Spyro's wings were half open as he sat upright with great triumph over something. His sail was halfway curled around his body while his head looked over his shoulder at something like if he was staring back at something. His facial expression looked as though he had a great number of stories to tell about his life, in reality this was true.

"My dad made those when I was first born for me," Flame said as she looked among the three as well. "He just started to take up carving and sculpting as a hobby when he came across a large gold nugget in this cave when he and Spyro carved out my room. He idolized Ignitus for his fire element, Malefor carved Malefor because of the impact he had on his and mom's life, and your dad because he means a lot to him. He cares about Spyro as a friend more than you can imagine from what I've heard from mom." Flare said as Skyro nodded his head in understanding. The detail was perfect in the sculptures; hours of work from Flame on his free time went into each chisel and molding process while using his fire element.

"They're very impressive pieces of work, you're lucky to have them." Skyro said as Flare smiled to the compliment.

"Thanks, now come on I want to show you this." Flare said as Skyro unwillingly followed his friend towards the other side of her room. Skyro could hear his parents sound asleep due to the fact that he could hear them breathing softly from the other room in a deep sleep. Flare then shoved the rock which acted as a shelf away from the wall to reveal a large hole just big enough for the two to crawl into.

"Did you dig this tunnel yourself?" Skyro asked as he could feel a cool breeze of wind rush through the tunnel, signaling that the tunnel led directly to the outside world.

"Yeah, I finished it about a month ago and I've been going out ever since," Flare said as she began to crawl into the tunnel. "Now come on, we've only got about three hours or so until we have to head back." Skyro shook his head with a smile as he followed his best friend into the small, dark tunnel.

"So do you think we'll ever see a world without Roamers?" Skyro asked as he struggled to see with the poorly, moonlight lit tunnel.

"I hope so, there must be some way to get them all together and kill them all at once," Flare said as she seemed to move through the tunnel with no issues at all. "Either that or form an alliance large enough to face them all head on without any problems."

"Where did you hear those ideas at?" Skyro said as his eyes began to adjust to the dim lighting, nearly catching his horns on a tree root which passed just above him.

"My dad was talking about it to my mom the other day, she thought a large scale, head on attack was way too risky," said Flare as the two young dragons approached the end of the tunnel. "But I don't see any way to round them all up and kill them all at once, they have nothing else on their minds except bite, bite, and bite some more."

"Do you know exactly what they do if they manage to get ahold of you?" Skyro said as Flare cringed to the thought.

"They eat you alive," Flare whispered as the two finally reached the end of the tunnel. "Alright, just remember to be quiet, they are attracted to noise."

"I know, I remember," Skyro whispered as they crawled from the tunnel and snuck behind a nearby bush. "I hope what you're showing me is worth it."

"Trust me, you won't forget about it for a lifetime," Flare whispered as she poked her head just enough out from the bush to look at the surroundings. "Alright, follow me, but keep quiet." Roamer Dragon cries filled the night sky while the unbearable sound or Roamer growls and snarls filled the forest with an orchestra of horror as Skyro's stomach cringed with fear. Never had he been outside at night when the world was at its most dangerous point of the day, only had he been outside during daylight hours.

"How far is it?" Skyro asked as he and Flare crept through the tall grass and giant trees while watching out for any sign of movement.

"No too far, we'll be there here soon," Flare answered as they stopped inside another bush. "I don't travel very far every night, just small distances." The sound of the river leading from Friendship Falls could be heard from where the two were at as Skyro still couldn't recognize where they were exactly.

"Where are we anyway?" He finally asked as they were soon moving again, this time much faster as the moans from the Roamers soon began to get quieter as if they were getting farther away.

"About a mile or so away from the cave," Flare said as she soon stopped, nearly causing Skyro to run into her as she sniffed the ground curiously. "Help me look for a very smooth rock around here somewhere."

"That's a pretty good description of ever rock around here," Skyro said as he soon regretted saying his thoughts. "Is this it?"

"Yeah, flip it over," Flare said as Skyro grasped the smooth surface of the rock and pushed it away with seemingly no effort at all. "Do you know what it is?"

"I don't know, it looks like a piece of bandage or something," Skyro then grabbed the smooth cloth and lifted it up in the moonlight. "It has blood on it… I think." The white and tan bandage looked as though it was rubbed into dirt and torn viciously from someone as the bloodstains provided the evidence that it must have been a very gruesome conflict.

"W-w-who are you, why are you messing with my things." A voice whispered as if it was being spoken with sadness as Skyro dropped the piece of fabric and looked around with confusion and fear, Flare did the same.

"Show yourself, I didn't know it was yours, please don't be afraid of us." Skyro whispered back as he soon saw a figure approach from the shadowy forest in front of him.

"That belonged to my mother," a dragon about the same age as Skyro and Flare soon emerged from the shadows. His grey skin and pitch black chest scales and black membrane wings made it seemingly impossible for them to see as his silver-blue eyes were filled with tears. "It was all that was left of her favorite necklace before the Roamers got to her. She was defending me you see, and they just ate her like she was a cheap snack." His sobs were quiet, yet pain filled as his tears refused to stop.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother, my name is Skyro, and this is Flare," Skyro politely introduced himself and Flare. "Do you live around here, what about your dad?"

"He died while protecting us from those monsters before they started roaming about," the dragon said as he sobbed a little less in Skyro's presence. "Sorry to be so rude, my name is Smoke. Where are your parents?"

"Back at our cave, they don't know we're out her," Flare spoke up as she stepped up next to Skyro's side. "Aren't you scared of the Roamers?"

"Is that what you call them, Roamers," Smoke asked as he managed to squirm out a small smile. "Sounds like a fitting name. Not to scared, I generally come out at night anyway; my color helps me blend into the shadows a bit. My cave is actually right behind these large bushes here. I sometimes have to use my flame breath to light the way sometimes, only rarely though."

"You already mastered your element?" Skyro asked in awe as Smoke nodded his head.

"Dad said that I needed to so I could help protect mom if the time arose," Smoke said as Flame stood impressed, neither her nor Skyro had mastered their elements yet. "You two should really get back to your parents, they might grow worried if they wake up for some reason and see that you're missing."

"No, you should come with us," Skyro said as he walked up to Smoke so they were face-to-face. "I'm not leaving a friend behind out here by himself in this danger." Suddenly, a loud screech split the night air, sending chills of fear up Skyro's spine like lightning splitting the night sky.

"One of them might have heard us," Smoke whispered as he crouched low to the ground, followed by Skyro and Flare. "Alright I'll go with you; we'll have to make up a good story to tell your parents why there is another dragon in your cave."

"Flare, get us back now please, I think you've showed me enough," Skyro whispered as he picked up the fabric which he dropped and handed it to Smoke. I'm pretty sure you don't want to leave this."

"Nor this," Smoke whispered, pulling a small blue crystal from the small hole in ground which was covered up by the rock and wrapped it in the piece of fabric. "My father gave it to me, he said it was magical and one day I'd learn how to use it." He then grabbed his things with his mouth and nodded his head.

"Alright, follow me." Flare whispered as she led the way back, feeling more nervous than when they started out as she heard the heavy footsteps of Roamers looming all around her.

"Alright, go this way about seventy paces and go left," Flare though, trying to remember the path which she took as she crept through the dully lit forest floor. "This was such a stupid idea to do this; we could have gotten killed over this. But we saved someone from these things… if we ever make it back." She then stopped suddenly behind a large boulder in the shadows, nearly cloaking them in complete black as Skyro and Smoke followed.

"What's wrong?" Skyro asked as Flare pointed towards a Roamer.

"The tunnel is behind the bushes right behind him," Flare whispered as Skyro sat down and thought of the predicament which they had fallen into. "We can't get to it unless he is out of the way." Skyro then thought of something that might work.

"Give me a rock," Skyro whispered as he looked around the dark ground, feeling around for a rock as he began to panic. "I'm going to lure him away by throwing a rock someplace where he can't be in our way."

"Here, I found two." Smoke whispered as he handed Skyro a small pebble and a large rock which was larger than his hand.

"Here it goes." Skyro started with the small pebble, hoping to hit a tree or something solid blindly so that the ill-lit Roamer would move along somewhere else. The young purple dragon threw the pebble with all of his strength into the pitch blackness of the forest, nothing. Not a sound was heard as the pebble simply landed among the forest floor, not even a simple thud could be heard by them.

"Try again; you'll get it this time." Flare whispered as Skyro grabbed the larger rock, finding a good place along its rough surface to grasp ahold of it firmly before the throw. Skyro heaved the rock with all of his strength, aiming it a little bit to the left as it flew into the forest for only a few seconds before impacting a tree to close to where they were at.

"Oh no," Skyro whispered as the Roamer turned to where they were and began to lurch forward. "He's heading right for us.

"Tuck your heads down low and don't move," Smoke whispered as he did the same, curling his head into a ball with the rest of his body and laid absolutely motionless. "Stay perfectly still; he may confuse us with just plain rocks." Skyro's body then began to shake and quiver with fear as a tree's leaves would in the wind as he felt a different knot in his throat arise.

"Stay back… stay away… leave us alone," Skyro thought as the Roamer was mere feet away from them. "I don't want to die, stay as far away as possible… go away, leave us alone!" The Roamer then looked down and saw the three dragons huddled together, noticing Skyro shivering along with Flare.

"He's found us." Skyro thought as he froze in absolute fear. The Roamer then opened his mouth with a quick snarl and growled sickly. Saliva then began to drip from his teeth as his hands became outreached for Skyro. Then, he released an ear-splitting shriek which felt like needles in in Skyro's ears as he lunged towards the young dragon.

"I said to back away from us!" Skyro yelled out loud. As if the knot in his throat finally untied itself, a powerful short blast of fire erupted from his mouth and exploded in the Roamer's face, causing the Roamer to howl in pain as Skyro was surprised by his action.

"Run to the tunnel go!" Flare yelled as the three sprinted past the Roamer which was still clinging to its face in pain, not ever paying attention to the three young dragons fleeing from him.

"Alright, crawl and don't look back!" Flare yelled as she allowed Skyro and Smoke to enter first, soon followed by her as she heard more footsteps coming up fast and the unforgettable swoosh of Dragon Roamer wings flapping near the ground before landing. Skyro's heard still raced over the experience of nearly being caught as he thought that the distance he was putting between him and the Roamers wasn't enough. Though they couldn't have crawled through the tunnel if they tried the constant reminder of fear and death overpowered him as he soon caught eye of the dull candlelight room of Flare's which seemed more inviting than ever to him.

"We're back, but keep quiet, or else-" Skyro was cut short after entering the room to see his parents and Flare's looking down at him with very angry and worried faces. Flare and Smoke soon saw this as they entered as well, Skyro and Flare both knew that they were both in very big trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Reconcile**

"You have a lot of explaining to do young dragons," Spyro scolded as he looked back and for that Skyro and Flare both. "Do you have any idea what type of danger you just crawled into, you could have died! How do you thing we as your parents would have felt if something bad was to happen to you?"

"Flare, you have a lot of explaining to do of your own, we'll start by you explaining to us why there is a tunnel leading from your room towards the outside world, you know it is a dangerous place out there at night," Flame said, trying to be a little bit less hostile than Spyro as he stood next to his friend. "What type of stupid notion possessed you to do such a thing anyway?"

"Well… I've been going out at night for a while now," Flare started as Ember's leering eyes looked just as punishing as Spyro's as she felt a knot build up in her throat suddenly. "I'm just sick and tired of staying locked up in here, and besides, we saved someone." Flare and Skyro both stepped to the side and allowed Smoke to shyly lift his head up, trying to spread a short smile as he waved his paw.

"Um h-h-hi," Smoke stuttered as he struggled to speak up due to the tension in the room. "My name is Smoke; it's nice to meet you all, even though I wish it was under better circumstances than this." Cynder couldn't help but smile a small smile from behind Spyro, followed by Ember as they both looked at each other and thought the same thing.

"He's adorable he can't be older than Flare and Skyro," Cynder whispered as Ember nodded in agreement. "I wonder what is in that cloth he's holding onto."

"We'll probably know here in a second." Ember concluded as they began to listen to Spyro and Flame again.

"Smoke, are you ok, you weren't bitten were you?" Spyro said, his voice sounded calmer now as Skyro's tight tension in his chest then began to sooth a little bit.

"Nope, I'm clean," Smoke said as he showed Spyro the cloth and the crystal. "Don't mind the fabric, it is the only thing I have in remembrance of my mother. The crystal was given to me by my dad before he died fighting the Fallen before they turned into these Roamer things I guess you call them."

"Is that a rare blue crystal," Spyro said as his eyes gazed at the glowing blue aura which radiated from the small crystal, signalizing majestic power as Smoke nodded his head. "Those things are very hard to come by, I haven't seen one for over eleven years now I think."

"I don't know where they all went," Smoke said as he soon found out that he was beginning to calm Spyro and Flame down. "One year they are almost everywhere and the next they start disappearing."

"Honey, it is still pretty late, we should all get some sleep," Cynder said as she edged her husband on into going to bed. "We can discuss punishment tomorrow.

"Alright my love, don't think I haven't forgotten about this, we're going to Warfang tomorrow to discuss a few plans with the Guardians," Spyro said as Smoke's eyes widened with interest. "I don't think the Guardians would mind if Smoke was to stay there with them, it's much safer there than anywhere else right at the moment."

"Really, you'd do that for me?" Smoke said as he jumped up and down excitedly.

"Yes I would and I will," Spyro smiled as he and the other adults turned to leave the room. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Spyro and this is my wife Cynder. This here is Flame and his wife Ember. We'll discuss other things tomorrow. Goodnight you three, try to get some sleep ok?" Spyro turned to walk away when his son stopped him before he could leave.

"How did you know we were gone?" Skyro asked as all of the other adults except Spyro headed off to bed.

"Aside from the loud screech which woke us up, I felt your presence being in danger," Spyro said as he nuzzled his son in a loving was across the side of his cheek. "I'm not very angry at you; you just had me very worried. I couldn't bear to lose you. You are my son, and I love you with all of my heart's content, and I would do anything to make sure that you are never harmed as long as I am still alive. Ask your mother the same question, she'll tell you exactly what I have said. She felt a disturbance as well, she was the first to get up out of bed and notice that you were gone, she yelled for mw to come quick that you two were missing and that is when we found you three crawled back through that tunnel."

"I'm sorry for making you and mom worry, I knew I shouldn't have left the cave," Skyro said as Spyro kissed his son on the forehead. "I shouldn't have made you worry like that."

"Don't worry about it son, now go to bed, you have a long day tomorrow." Spyro said with a smile and turned to his wife who was waiting for him with a smile before heading into the guest room.

"You're only twenty-six and you're already becoming an old, soft-hearted dragon." Cynder teased as the couple entered their room.

"He's my son honey, he doesn't need to be punished to the extreme if he messes up once," Spyro said as the made themselves comfortable together in their bed. "Besides, he knows that he made a mistake and apologized to both you and me, that is good enough for me."

"Just like Malefor apologized to you before he died?" Cynder asked, realizing the similarities as Spyro smirked and chuckled a little bit.

"Well if our son tries to kill us both and take over the world, we have some serious parenting issues then don't we?" Spyro chuckled as Cynder cuddled in his arms as they drifted off into sleep.

* * *

"Are you ok?" Hunter panted as he and Prowlus both came across the town of Everglades, abandoned as all of the survivors had either been killed or had fled off towards Warfang in an attempt to escape the Roamers attack on the small town.

"Yes, I do hope Blaidus and Savage are going to be ok," Prowlus said as he and Hunter both struggled to catch their breath alongside the town pharmacy wall, "They told us that they would try to make it back to Warfang by daybreak. Do you think they'll ever make it?"

"Tough one to say really," Hunter said as they began to regain their thoughts about what was going on around them. "The sun won't be up for probably another five hours or so and Warfang is at least a three hour travel if they hurry."

"I must ask, how did you manage to travel from the Volcano of Cripyro all the way to Warfang on foot to warn the Guardians that he was about to fight Draikor ?" Prowlus asked as he looked at Hunter and noticed how he was having trouble catching his breath.

"I got lucky, that is all," Hunter said, forgetting to tell Prowlus occasionally until up to this point. "The river was flowing in the right direction and I managed to find a raft tied to a fishing dock. I stole the raft and was lucky enough to know the river somewhat well while Spyro and I traveled for the few days we were together. After two weeks or so passed I returned the raft to the rightful owner and apologized to him for the inconvenience, he was a very nice Mole, very understanding."

"I see; did he thank you for returning it?" Prowlus asked, trying to keep up normal conversation as they entered the pharmacy cautiously.

"Yeah, he had a funny look to him though, really soft spoken and hard to talk to, like he had been alone for his whole life or something," Hunter said as they surveyed the room with the poor lighting from the moonlight above them, no Roamers in sight. "I can't remember his name though, something like Is'nash or something like that."

"So we're going to stay here for the night and hope to cover as much ground tomorrow as possible to make it back to Warfang before tomorrow night?" Prowlus asked as a suggestion as Hunter nodded his head.

"Sounds like a good plan to me, we might be able to follow the river to the Valley of Avalar and then use the secret tunnels which lead to Warfang and arrive there by daybreak the following day if we're lucky," Hunter said as Prowlus nodded his head in remembrance to the secret tunnels as Hunter sat along the floor up against the wall. "The tunnels are always sealed off, so I will be very surprised if there are any Roamers in there."

"It would be nice to travel without any threat for once," Prowlus said as he looked at the operating room door which was blocked with a very lavish desk and chairs. "If there is any Roamers in that room we should deal with them tomorrow, it means one less we have to worry about if we ever find a way to stop those things permanently." Hunter then nodded in agreement.

"It would only take a few mere seconds to do so; if we could do it now then it would save us the problem, if only we had more light to work with though." Hunter said as Prowlus nodded his head.

"Sleep now brother, I'll take the first watch for a few hours and switch with you." Prowlus ordered as Hunter struggled to find a comfortable position to sleep.

* * *

Spyro struggled to sleep; he could no longer understand why he couldn't find the location of the White Isle where he was trained by the Chronicler before Ignitus took the role. He remembered seeing the Chronicler alive and in reality and couldn't understand why he couldn't still see Ignitus for guidance for his son. If the Chronicler was Ignitus then that meant that he was still alive… or was he? For years he searched every map in existence of the vast ocean which surrounded the Dragon Realms but found nothing which came relatively close to the While Isle, some nights it drove him mad just thinking about it.

"Ignitus… can you hear me?" Spyro thought as he laid awake it bed on his back, Cynder was clinging onto his body as she fell asleep to the warmth which his body was radiating during the night.

"Yes young dragon, you sound disturbed, what is the matter." Ignitus asked calmly in Spyro's head, causing the purple dragon to smile with comfort to hear his long lost mentor speak to him once more.

"I think it is time for Skyro to learn the ways of his elements before he learns them himself by accident like me," Spyro thought as he kept his eyes closed to vision Ignitus speaking to him in real time. "But I can't find the While Isle anywhere on maps… like the place doesn't even exist, why?"

"Because it does not exist in your world Spyro," Ignitus said as Spyro's thoughts of the past soon became shattered by questions which only the Chronicler could answer. "A place cannot and will not exist if there are no recordings of its location."

"On Skabb's ship though, the map sprawled among his desk, it showed me in great detail where they were located at!" Spyro insisted as Ignitus' form appeared in his mind, shaking his head as Spyro was at loss of words.

"The Chronicler was guiding you to a secluded place so you would be safe from any immediate danger," Ignitus said as he then began to explain to Spyro. "He made you see visions so you wouldn't lose hope in your training."

"Then how do you explain a Leviathan carrying Sparx and I all the way to the White Isle?" Spyro asked as Ignitus smiled the young dragon's curiosity.

Ignitus came into full view as Spyro soon found himself slipping off into sleep as his being was being brought to the feet of Ignitus as he said, "You are here Spyro, this world only exists in the Spirit World. As of the Leviathan, you did indeed travel among it's back while you helplessly sank in the vast ocean, it was the Leviathan who brought you back to the surface before you could drown. Sparx was subjected to the Chronicler's power to; he suffered the same fate as you did. When you left the Chronicler's study, you wandered aimlessly towards the Well of Souls where you climbed a mountain peak which towered close to the massive obstruction. When you and Sparx finally came to your senses, you were staring at Malefor's obscene creation."

"So, Skyro can't learn the ways of the elements from you?" Spyro asked as Ignitus shook his head slowly.

"I fear not for he has more power that you and I could ever imagine," Ignitus said as Spyro looked at his old mentor in shock to the words that followed. "He is the only dragon ever in history to wield eight elements."

"Fire, ice, electricity, earth," Spyro began as he named off the most likely elements given to his son. "Wind, shadow, fear, and poison; all of Cynder and my elements together."

"That is correct," Ignitus said as he placed his right paw on Spyro's left shoulder. "Which is why you and Cynder as his parents show him the ways yourself, I cannot teach him the ways of Cynder's elements. Trust me Spyro, you two can do this, you've faced more constrictive matters before." The two dragons chuckled as Ignitus sent Spyro back into reality, back into the world of nightmares as Spyro's eyes opened slowly to the presence of morning.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Spyro whispered, almost inaudible to himself as he saw Cynder beginning to stir and wake up next to him. "Ignitus appeared in my dream honey, we have an important topic to discuss when we reach Warfang today."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: The Smallest Light**

"Alright, we'll look in here and rid the Roamer or Roamers in here and begin our way towards the river," Hunter said as he awoke Prowlus from his sleep, soon edging his way towards the blocked door as Prowlus shook himself awake. "We have to cover a lot of ground today otherwise we'll be sleeping outside tonight, I don't know of any other villages around here."

"Nor I brother, whenever you're ready," Prowlus said as the two very swiftly manage to remove the obstacles in their path. "I'll be right behind you, stay on your toes." Hunter nodded his head as he slowly opened the door leading into the operating room, creaking on the hinges as he heard a shuffling noise in the corner of the room as if something had a quick panic spasm or something was trying to escape.

"Hello, is anyone in here?" Hunter whispered knowing if there was a Roamer in the shadows, it would have attacked him by now. The dull light which curved into the room from the main room was poor, but enough to see most of the obstructions in the room. Dried blood and small piles of ash and dust signed that a fight had broken out in the room as Hunter and Prowlus entered the room.

"Please, whoever you are, help me get out of here." A female voice whispered as Hunter's ears stood up on end to the direction of the voice.

"Are you alone?" Prowlus asked softly as the female voice did not respond right away.

"In the closet next to my voice," the voice warned as Hunter slowly made his way towards the voice. "New type of Roamer, stay back unless you are swift on your feet."

"What do you mean?" Hunter asked, suddenly covering his ears to the loudest screech he had ever heard erupted from his front, followed by the closet door swinging open forcefully as a small, swift creature leaped towards Hunter. The creature was a Hyena warrior, much like one of Skabb's minions, covered in blood splotches on it's face and hands as his teeth were aimed for Hunter's throat. A large, green sphere of energy then erupted from the corner of the room, stopping the Hyena warrior in midair. Hunter looked around the snarling Hyena and noticed that the sphere was connected to a rope-like ray of magic which lead directly to the female stranger who effortlessly slammed the Hyena into the ceiling forcefully, crushing it's head as the body fell limp onto the floor.

"Why didn't it disintegrate?" Prowlus asked as Hunter shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe because it wasn't a true Fallen Roamer, but just an infected civilian," Hunter concluded as he watched the hooded female figure approach the two. "I have to thank you for sacing me, I was not prepared for such swiftness from a being like that."

"Many aren't I'm afraid," the female voice said as she was mere feet away from Hunter. "My name is Bianca, a sorcerer's apprentice from the far east, part of this world which was abandoned long ago."

"My name is Hunter and this is my brother in arms Prowlus," Hunter introduced the two of them as he looked towards the door. "He is Chief of the Cheetahs in the Cheetah Village in the Valley of Avalar and I am the Chief of the Cheetahs in the city of Warfang. We are heading that way now, you can't stay out here all by yourself, come with us to safety. We can discuss about our lives when we get someplace safer."

"Ok, where is this Warfang and how are we going to make it there?" Bianca asked as the three left the building swiftly and kept a readied stance in case if any more infected Hyena's or any type of Roamer was ready to strike.

"We're heading towards the main river which Valley of Avalar, hopefully there is a raft along one of the many docks along the river which we can use to float down towards the Valley of Avalar," Hunter explained as he kept his bow loaded with an arrow in his sturdy grip. "There is a secret passage which will take us directly towards the outside walls of Warfang where we will be safe once we're inside."

"Don't forget that we need to get to the river before sundown today, otherwise we'll have a very tough time getting to the river in the moonlight and dense forest," Prowlus warned as Hunter nodded his head. "But we should be safe once we are among a raft; I haven't seen any type of Roamer which could swim."

"Stay sharp, let us move now." Hunter said as the three began their way towards their first destination.

* * *

"So your dad let you go without punishment," Smoke asked Skyro as the three sat around in Flare's room talking amongst each other about random things. "Your dad seems pretty cool, aside the fact he is the savior of this world and all." Smoke chuckled to himself as Skyro knew that the three were going to be great friends.

"He may have faced great evil, but he's a softy when it comes to his heart." Flare joked as Skyro smiled and nodded to her nagging.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, he is a softy," Skyro said with a smile as he thought of his father which he loved very much. "But he means well, and I'm proud to call him my father. You've been holding onto that cloth all day now Smoke, what do you plan on doing with it?"

"Well I was planning on tying it around my neck, but I'm afraid it might look weird." Smoke said as Flare shook her head.

"Nonsense, try it, I think it will look good." Flare said as Smoke hesitated for a minute before beginning to tie the cloth around his neck.

"Ok, how does it look?" Smoke asked as Skyro looked at him thoroughly, soon admiring his new look. The cloth mocked a bandana except it was a personal token to remember his mother. The bloodstains were almost completely covered up due to the dirt stains as Skyro nodded his head in admiration.

"You look good, you should keep that look." Skyro said, little did he know that his father was listening in on their conversation.

"You know it is not polite to eavesdrop on other's conversations." Cynder teased as she poked Spyro's side, making him jump as he followed her into the living room.

"I couldn't resist, that kid Smoke was talking about me and I couldn't resist from listening in," Spyro said, trying to defend his pride as he separated from his wife with a smile and made his way towards Flame. "So about this plan, do you think it will work?"

"It's sketchy yes, but the Roamers are stupid," Flame said as he explained his plan once more. "But I believe if we somehow get enough troops together, we can begin to wipe out the major majority of them if not all of them at once."

"That just leaves us with the thought that everyone will be ok once we start fighting back," Spyro said, then pondering with the thought soon after he spoke. "We'll most likely have casualties after this it is all said and done though."

"And we haven't had any already," Flame asked as he drake a glass of wine while offering Spyro some as well whom happily accepted the offer. "There will be losses, but what choice do we have? This world is indeed what Draikor wanted according to your words. It is all nothing but survival of the fittest now, only the strongest survive and the weak die. All that the strongest can do is do the best they can until a day of change arrives, well that day is today. We should head to Warfang now while we still can. The morning is still young."

"Alright, you're right, we should go," Spyro agreed as he called for Cynder. "Honey, we need to head to Warfang now while we still have the chance to, it is safer there."

"Ok, I'll go get the kids, why the sudden decision though?" Cynder asked as Ember joined the two males in the living room.

"Because we need to move now while there is still a large group in Warfang," Spyro said as Cynder gathered the children in Flare's room into the living room. "And I think the time is right to."

"We shall fly all the way to Warfang and hopefully encourage others if they see us to come with us as well," Flame said as he and Spyro began to shove the boulder out of the way. "And hopefully arrive before nightfall; otherwise we'll fly right into some trouble I don't think anyone will want to get into." The two dragons then pushed the boulder off to the side, only to be staring at the mob of Roamers which were waiting outside.

"… Nobody said this would be easy," Spyro said as he and Flame began to close the boulder behind them. "Cynder, Ember, stay in here, we'll le you out when this is over." Spyro then shoved the boulder the rest of the way over the door just as a Roamer Hyena leaped towards him.

* * *

"So Bianca, how long did it take you to travel from where you came to here and why would you want to anyway?" Hunter asked as the three somehow managed to find an opening in the forest which shown no sign of Roamers anywhere.

"I came here looking for redemption, and to just forget what happened to me," Bianca said as she finally revealed her face, her appearance took Hunter by surprise as he never seen such beauty before. "I am the last of my kind due to my master's ignorance."

"You are of the Rabbit species I see," Hunter said, still taking in her beauty for the moment, especially her crystal clear blue eyes which looked up at him every once in a while as they spoke. "Do you mind me asking what happened to you and your master?"

"You are kind to ask in such manor, but I prefer a more suitable time," Bianca said as Hunter smirked to her statement, knowing that she was smirking to. "I'll be happy to tell you about my past once we get to Warfang if you might still be interested on the topic."

Hunter smiled and kindly said, "As you wish Bianca. Prowlus, how are you holding up?"

"Why are you asking me when I should be asking you," Prowlus asked as they were about halfway across the clearing. "You have been under severe stress for a while now; you must feel drained by now."

"I'll be fine as soon as we reach the river," Hunter said as he seemed to grip his bow much harder now for seemingly no apparent reason. "The more I think about what can happen to us out here, the more I stay focused, what of you?"

"I'll be happy once we reach the river to like you said," Prowlus said as they began to enter the forest once more. "I just can't shake the feeling though that we are farther away from our goal than what we should be. The sky is starting to show signs that it is getting dark again soon and I don't know these parts of the forest. All I know is that we need to keep heading in this direction."

"I might be able to provide some light in case we do get stuck outside," Bianca said as she held up her hand slightly to make a suggestion. "But I can't keep the spell going for long, it only lasts for a short time per use and I don't think that showing our location with a beacon will suite well with us due to the Roamers."

"We'll have to use it if we are to press onward through the night," Hunter said as the three readied themselves for any encounters in the forest ahead of them. "It would be a suiting change though if we happen to stumble upon a small supply road heading in the same direction as we are going, it will make travel easier."

"If we have luck on our side then we might find a road which to follow," Prowlus said as he notched an arrow in his bow. "I see one… Hyena Roamer, what should we call them from now on do you suppose?"

"I called them Leapers once," Bianca whispered as she and Hunter watched Prowlus draw back his bow. "But I've heard some people call them Berserkers because how they attack… or that might have been another type, I can't remember."

"Leapers it is," Hunter said as he put his hand on Prowlus' shoulder. "Do you think we might be able to get around it without alerting it?" Hunter asked as Prowlus shrugged his shoulders while shaking his head.

"Hard to tell, if we kill it now, it means one less to worry about, but we run the risk of being discovered." Prowlus said as he aimed his bow at the Leaper's head. "Then again, it would be grand if we could get around it, but if we mess up somehow, we'll be in big trouble because we wouldn't stand a change in this area."

"Bianca, what do you suppose?" Hunter asked as he looked at her while she reached into her small satchel for something.

"Kill it, I can buy us some time if we do get discovered with this," she pulled out a small bottle of disgusting looking brown gas which seemed alive inside of the glass jar. "It's a smog which will cover our escape should we need to." That was more than enough motivation Prowlus needed as he released his arrow, zipping nicely through the air as it shot clean through the Leaper's head and continued to fly into a tree.

"Huh, that's a first." Prowlus said as he replaced his bow around his chest and held one an arrow firmly in his hand as he watched the infected body fall limp to the ground.

"Nice shot brother, now let us keep going before-" a loud shriek then split the forest as Bianca threw the jar into a nearby tree which caused the brown smoke to explode out and around them.

"RUN, GO, THEY'LL BE COMING SOON!" Bianca yelled as the three began to sprint around the large area of smoke which continued to expand and grow in density. They ran until their lungs hurt as though they would burst and continued to run, jumping over fallen trees and rocks until they finally stopped to catch their breath.

"Do you think we lost them?" Hunter asked as he panted hard to catch his breath.

"Yeah… yeah we did." Prowlus said as Bianca leaned her back against a tree and breathed deeply to regain her thoughts.

"Well, that must have knocked about half a mile off of our journey," Bianca said as she pointed past Hunter who sat among a rock with Prowlus to rest. "Plus we found a road to follow." Hunter smiled as he looked among the path's surface. He recognized the surface and realized that they were getting close to their destination. Wide enough to have two wagons travel side to side; it was safer and more effective to travel on rather than cutting through the forest while risking a Roamer attack around every corner. The road meant they could see the enemy and retreat or fight head on rather than the enemy having the element of surprise.

"I know this road; we should be able to know off half a day if we keep to it, maybe a whole day's worth of travel if we push on through the night." Hunter suggested as Prowlus stood with the three and examined their method of travel, a little bit uneasy with the travel at night.

"I don't know about night travel brother, sure we have Bianca's light for support and we can see the Roamers coming yes, but they can see us on the road from the forest as well." Prowlus said as Hunter nodded his head.

"I think we should risk it, at least we will know where we are going and besides, we have a direct passage towards the village," Hunter said as he continued to look along down the road. "I recall just finishing a small path leading to the village which branches off this road here. I just hope someone managed to post a sign saying where it leads or else we might find ourselves traveling down a road which we don't want to take."

"Alright, I'm for it," Prowlus said as he looked towards Bianca who was already nodding her head in agreement. "Let us move then." The three then began to make their way down the path, ready for any surprise attacks as the day began to slip away quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Friend or Foe**

"We made it, just barely though; glide in through the Dragon Study." Spyro said as the group of dragons soared in and landed among the Dragon Study balcony, startling the Guardians who were minding their own business among the room.

"Young one you startled us, close the doors quickly, they are coming!" Volteer ordered as Spyro quickly turned back around and slammed the doors to the balcony shut, sending the room in near total blackness. He breathed a small flare of fire in order to illuminate the room while Volteer used his electrical element to power a small lightning rod among the wall, illuminating the room as though it was being brightened by the sun.

"I assume you all made it here in one piece more or less," Terrador asked as he and the Guardians made their way towards the group of dragons who had barged in unexpectedly. "How bad is it out their?"

"Very bad, there are more out there than what we first thought," Spyro said as he tried to adjust himself to the light outside. "Which makes no sense to me; we should be seeing less of them by now if they were beginning to disperse out and away from here."

"That can boast a reasonable argument, but for right now are you all alright?" Cyril asked as Cynder nodded her head.

"Fine for now, just a bit tired," Cynder said as she stretched her limbs out in discomfort. "Have any of you figured out why the dragons only take flight at night?"

Volteer stood nodding his head as he said, "We believe at certain altitudes when they get closer to the sun, their decomposed bodies cannot withstand certain degrees o heat. In other words, they will burn themselves up if they soar to high. So the coolness of night keeps them intact enough to take flight without any troubles."

"Makes sense," Spyro said as he walked over towards Terrador. "May I speak with you about Skyro in private, it's about his elements." Terrador nodded his head as the two moved outside of the group's hearing area so they could discuss to themselves in private.

"What of Skyro, is he starting to show promises of power?" Terrador asked as Spyro shrugged his shoulders a bit in uncertainty.

"Ignitus told me last night that Cynder and I have to train him as his parents," Spyro said as Terrador nodded his head. "Is there any place here that could serve as a training area?"

"Down in the basement where we separated you from the demon is a door that leads into another room," Terrador said as Spyro remembered the painful exorcism which took place there years ago, the pain which felt like his bones wanting to rip through his skin would never leave him. "When you enter, light the one torch to your right as you walk in, the flames will carry out to the remaining torches in there. You should have more than enough room in there to do what you need to do."

"Thank you Terrador, you've always been there with my family and me whenever we needed you." Spyro said as they made their way back to rejoin the group.

"Ignitus loved you for how you grown up to be, he wouldn't approve if I or the others loved you the same." Terrador said as Skyro jumped up from his cushion on the floor.

"Hey mom, dad, is it ok if us three go downstairs to the playroom," Skyro asked as Spyro smiled to his son's energy. "Volteer said there are some kids down there we can go play with. Please?"

"Alright, if it's ok with your mother then yes." Spyro said as Skyro turned to his mother who was already nodding her head and smiling as well.

"Yes you can go, just don't go outside however, it is dangerous at night." Cynder said as the three children left while saying a near inaudible "thank you, we won't" before running down the stairs.

"Now that the kids are out of the way, can we discuss your plan Flame?" Spyro asked as Cyril leaned in to listen.

"It is simple yet rough," Flame started as he sat down next to his wife. "I believe if we get enough forces together we could form a giant circle around Warfang roughly two or three rings around the whole city and push out and away from the city, like a wave of soldiers pushing away the Roamers. Or we can formulate large groups and spread out equally across the land and take down as many of them as we can before we have to retreat. Then regroup and go again and again until we kill enough of them to where we can live without fear of them and soon eradicate them all from existence period."

"That don't sound too bad of a plan," Terrador said as he looked among the Guardians. "Do you think we should pass the word around the city and see what feedback we get?"

"Yes, first thing tomorrow start spreading the word to the citizens, I highly doubt anyone will oppose the idea however," Volteer said as he repositioned himself in his seat for more comfort. "Tension and impatience is already at a high and the inhabitants want to do something about all of this, I doubt we will have a shortage of troops."

* * *

"Did you see my dad shock that one Roamer until it was nothing but ashes, awesome right?" Skyro said as the three children just reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah that was pretty cool," Smoke said, enjoying the company of his new friends. "Or how Flame and your dad both combined their fire breaths to sweep away the next wave of Roamers? THAT was pretty cool."

"Or how about when Skyro screamed like a girl while we were flying away?" Flare teased as she shoved Skyro playfully who promptly returned the action.

"Hey my mom grabbed me really quick; she startled me!" Skyro said as they entered the room which was down the hall from the church which has a golden sign above it which read PLAYROOM.

"You know I haven't really seen anyone else besides you Smoke Skyro, I'm kind of nervous." Flare said as Skyro nodded his head.

"Nor I, do you have any friends here Smoke?" Skyro asked as he shook his head.

"None, I only have you guys." Smoke said as then entered the room slowly and curiously, looking among the white painted walls with gold trim. Different games were being played while all of the children from different species laughed and played amongst each other in enjoyment.

"Here Smoke, I found this in the Dragon Study," Skyro handed a thin necklace which was made to hold a crystal in place on a small pendant looking piece. "I hope it works for you."

"Thank you Skyro, I appreciate it," Smoke said as he fixed his blue crystal onto the necklace and hung it around his neck with his bandana. "I'm lucky to have a friend like you and Flare." The three then walked into the room together, already being greeted by a few dragons and Moles at once in a kind manor. They played a game called Wing Clip where one player stands in the middle of the group while the other players run past the selected player back and forth while the selected player tries to tag the others while standing in a small circle. The player's tag stop where they are and stay in one spot while trying to tag the remaining players. Skyro was doing quite well in the game, not getting tagged once during each round as he seemed to weave and dodge every arm flail like it was nothing.

Skyro then accidently lost his footing, sliding into a group of three taller dragons as the apparent leader turned to his direction and said, "Watch where you're going stupid!" The rude dragon was roughly a foot taller than Skyro with dark blue chest scales and a near black blue color with grey horns which seemed to glare down at Skyro.

"I-I-I'm sorry, I just slipped on the floor, I didn't mean to disturb you three." Skyro timidly said as the bully's two friends turned towards Skyro's direction.

"Go away you baby." The second dragon said, his teal colored coat and dark green chest scales were dull in color as Skyro backed away a few steps, not knowing what to do.

"I said a was sorry, I was just-" Skyro was cut short as the third dragon took a threatening step towards him in an instant, causing Skyro to trip again as he fumbled backwards towards his playmates.

"He said to beat it short stuff!" The third dragon said, his brownish gold color and brown chest scales were dull like his friends as Skyro got back to the group of friends which we was playing with.

"What a jerk, you ok buddy?" Smoke asked as Skyro shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"What's his problem, it was an accident!" Skyro said as a female dragon came up to him with her ruby coat and yellow chest scales were a nicely bright coat which brought comfort to Skyro for a moment.

"The one who called you an idiot is Slair," the dragon said as she tried to sound kind to Skyro as Smoke and Flare listened to her speech. "The one who called you a baby is Fearlan. And the one who almost beat you into nothing is Tomias. Don't mind them, they are just bullies. My name is Scarlet by the way; I already introduced myself to your friends while you had your hands full over there."

"Um hi, I'm Skyro," the purple dragon said, a bit shy at first until he shook off what had just happened to him. "So what do you guys want to do next?" Skyro chuckled a little bit at the end of his sentence as he noticed the group of players dispersed back to their normal games.

* * *

"You better not be wrong about this child." Zpharah cursed as Nemphis landed among the rocky shore of an island so far away from the mainland, nobody had ever seen the location.

"Shut up, I don't see you making any suggestions on plans 'partner'." Nemphis shot back as Zpharah whipped around in front of him in anger.

"Must I remind you that this is not a partnership but a dictatorship," the demon hissed as Nemphis stood motionless, wishing he could shut the entity up for once. "Must I show you what I can do to you without your control?"

"Listen you rotten excuse for a demon," Nemphis said as he took a step closer to the entity, merely inches from its dusty form as their eyes were locked on one another. "You don't scare me and worse yet, I'm better than my father will ever be. Cross me once and you will feel my wrath you scumbag!"

"Shut up young wretch, we're here aren't we," Zpharah said as he and Nemphis flew straight up above the island to get a good view of the surroundings. "I'm going to assume that that building is what we're looking for." Zpharah's ghostly finger extended towards a large stone structure which was based at the center of the island. Nemphis glided down towards the building which was much larger than what he first thought.

"It looks abandoned, no windows anything," Nemphis suggested as he placed his right hand among the walls. "Structure looks badly weather damaged, almost as though whoever was here has been here for years."

"Very observant young one, I'm impressed," Zpharah said as he too looked among the walls is curiosity. "There's the door, let us inspect inside." The two looked among the thick trees of the forest which loomed overhead, lining the already dark path leading into who knows where into the forest from the building. The doors were solid iron, not even looked as the door seemed to swing open without effort as Nemphis cautiously entered the room which soon exploded with light. Smooth stone floors and walls, iron machinery which Nemphis could only imagine what it could do, and metal replicas of living beings loomed throughout the room as he could hear voices at the far end of the room, one which sounded vaguely familiar. Zpharah hid in the shadows of the machinery, not wanting to be seen while ready to help Nemphis in case of any surprise ambush was to occur as the young dragon made his way towards the voices.

The voices were now clear as day once the dragon finally met their proper owners, taken back by shock as the Mole and dragon faced him with blank faces.

"Son." The black dragon said as he looked at his son for the first time in over eight years.

"Father," Nemphis said as he refused to take a step further. "How are you alive? I saw what happened to you at the palace."

"I had to sacrifice a piece of myself in order to break free as you can see," Draikor then showed his son the mechanical arm which now resided as his left forearm and hand. "Painful, but certain things must be let go in order for survival. I've known this Mole for quite some time now and had a mutual agreement with him."

"What do you mean?" Nemphis said as he stepped closer to his father.

"To take over the world, but the timing is not right yet though son," Draikor smirked as he looked towards the Mole who was busy meddling with a mechanical dragon. "His structure her houses technology far advanced than civilization knows of, he can replicate an army of machines in a matter of days."

"How are they powered?" Nemphis said as Draikor pointed towards the chest of one of the hundreds of Droids.

"One of each crystal: green, red, and the sacred blue crystals which are grown faster here naturally." Draikor said as Nemphis began to ask his final question.

"How will YOU control them?" Draikor then laughed with delight as his son watched him point towards a giant crystal behind him which radiated with Dark Magic.

"I will fuse myself with Dark Magic and all of the Droids along with it so I may rein control over an army of beings who are neither alive nor dead," Draikor laughed as he looked at his son with a now serious face. "Son, do you know what power is? Has Zpharah been with you this whole time?"

"Yes, he has proven to be a helpful tutor and a nuisance at times," Nemphis said as the demon took shape from the shadows next to Nemphis. "But he has kept the urge to kill Spyro strong in my heart… but now that you're alive…"

"It changes nothing my son," Draikor said softly as he turned towards Zpharah. "The purple dragon and the black dragoness will be a problem in my plan… what shall we do about this?"

"We weaken him by killing Cynder first," Zpharah said as he drifted closer to Nemphis. "This will enrage him at the loss of his beloved wife. Then, when he comes to hunt us down, Nemphis and I along with the needed aid of Dark Magic will seal his fate at the Volcano of Cripyro. You will then be given more time to make sure your plan can proceed without any flaws before sweeping your army over the main lands."

"… I will not fail you father, they will both die by my hands." Nemphis said as Zpharah placed both of his hands among the young dragon's shoulders.

"Very well son… you know what you must do." Draikor said as he watched him smile with a sickening grin to the new power of the most powerful demon in existence had to offer him, corrupting him as the two entities joined together in one vessel.


End file.
